Career Profile: Travel Agent

How fun would it be to plan vacations for a living? Well that's exactly what travel agents do. They know the best airlines to fly, the pros and cons of every hotel, and the best activities to experience in each vacation destination.

Job description

The travel agent plans the best possible vacation for their clients. In most cases, they book the plane tickets, reserve the hotel, and even plan activities for clients to do when they get there.

Travel agent do a lot of research. Agents need to be well-versed in things like weather conditions, best places to eat, and popular local events for a variety of locations. Most agencies prefer agents that can speak more than one language, have superior computer skills, and are well-traveled and good at research.

While travel agents spend most of their time behind desks, conferring with clients and doing research, they do get to do a good bit of traveling to scout out locations, hotels and airlines.

Degrees and Training

Travel agencies usually prefer agents who have had formal training, either through experience or an education. A formal education can teach aspiring travel agents about geography, sales, marketing, and travel industry forms and procedures for ticketing and reservations, which all will be required skills.

For those interested pursuing an education in travel, The University of Phoenix offers an Associate of Arts with a concentration in Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism, while Sullivan University in Kentucky offers a Travel & Tourism program as part their renowned National Center for Hospitality Studies.